The Danger of the "Crowns"

[oopsies]

I find that many people are doing the works for the crowns. Yes, I know Paul talks about running the race but I thought I should at least bring everyone's attention to the vineyard workers found in Matthew 20:1-16.

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

1"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3"About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' 5So they went.
"He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?'
7" 'Because no one has hired us,' they answered.
"He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.'
8"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.'
9"The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.'
13"But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? 14Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?'
16"So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

This is a kingdom parable - it talks about how God's kingdom looks like so it applies regardless of what-trib view you hold. The people hired first are paid a denarius. The people hired later - right up to the eleventh hour (hint hint we all know what the eleventh hour symbolizes, right?) are also paid a denarius. There is no difference between those who have been working hard all along and those who worked the least right up to the eleventh hour. All are rewarded with the same pay.

I've said before in another thread. Don't run the race for hopes of a reward or a crown. God looks at the heart and if you run the race for the rewards/crown then that is grounds for disqualification. Rather, be thankful that you have your gift of salvation and work hard so that others will have this free gift. By doing so, if there really are additional rewards, then who knows? You just might get those rewards at the end. But if there aren't any, you wouldn't lose out either because all along, you appreciated the gift you did get and shared it with others.

I've seen people posting in threads saying that God will look at our fruit and how many people we brought to him and reward us accordingly. No. That is the wrong attitude. We already got the reward that we didn't deserve. Fruit and bringing people to him is something we should be doing out of gratitude and a sharing heart.

Someone is going to disagree but whatever. This needs to be said.

 

[mpaper345]

You can't argue because it is scriptual.No matter if you live for God for 10 years or 1 year you still get the same reward of eternal life but the saints will have their works judged where they will receive a reward or not.

9For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

10According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
14If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire(1 Corinthians 3:9-15).

Matt

 

[glenwood74]

Well said oopsies and Matt. It's all about the prize of salvation.

 

[loveschild]

If God wants to bless people thats up to him. Its not up to you. The bible is full from from begining to end that he did and does and will bless people by their works.
If you read the bible you must see what is wriiten.

 

[oopsies]

But to do the good work just to get blessings will probably not bring you any of those said blessings. It's a heart matter.

 

[glenwood74]

If God wants to bless people thats up to him. Its not up to you. The bible is full from from begining to end that he did and does and will bless people by their works.
If you read the bible you must see what is wriiten.

So, all the wicked, rich folk in the world are blessed for their good works? I agree that God decides who is blessed and who isn't but it has to do with His will being accomplished, and not with giving us presents because we are so very holy.

Luke 6: 20, 24

20God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is given to you.

24What sorrows await you who are rich, for you have your only happiness now.

 

[oopsies]

If God wants to bless people thats up to him. Its not up to you. The bible is full from from begining to end that he did and does and will bless people by their works.
If you read the bible you must see what is wriiten.

But to do the good work just to get blessings will probably not bring you any of those said blessings. It's a heart matter.

Oh and for added measure, no where did I claim that it is up to me to decide who gets the blessings.

 

[MahogonySnail]

There is nothing wrong with running the race with hopes for a reward or crown. What you said is basically a complete contradiction of this verse:

1Co 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.



The parable is not about not going for crowns. The parable is saying God doesn't give greater rewards for the length of time you've been saved. It meant the first christians and Jews were to receive no more reward than the many saved gentiles who would come later. That sometimes a newly saved person can exceed in gifts and knowledge and grace than a person saved 50 years, and vice versa. The parable has connection with the story of prodigal son, and the "first shall be last" statements.

 

[oopsies]

And to continue the verse down to 27... so you also beat your body literally?

If you are running the race for this "crown" or these "rewards" then according to 1 Corinthians 9:24, only one person will get the reward at the end of the race. What then is this race? Well, surely it must be bringing people to Christ, to do good deeds, and to keep your faith. But then, that means we would be competing against believers. After all, non-believers would not qualify for this race. And to think you or I can compete against people like Paul, Mark, Luke, John, Moses, David, Abraham, Elijah, and so forth. Hmmm, we're quite far behind in the race...

To quote someone: "It doesn't mean that we are competing with other Christians to see who can convert the most people or who is the 'better' Christian, but rather that we keep on running the race and not give up." The end result is salvation - but we already received the prize.

 

[MahogonySnail]

but we already received the prize.

That's another statement that contradicts Paul. He never says he has already received the prize or anything. That is future. The prize is the resurrection from the dead (Php 3:11). Obviously that is future, our future too. So no, no one can receive the prize until the resurrection, unless you believe we are in our resurrected bodies right now (that was a heresy in Paul's day).

Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.



There are different degrees of glory at the end.

We are not competing against others either.

 

[1still_waters]

I've said before in another thread. Don't run the race for hopes of a reward or a crown. God looks at the heart and if you run the race for the rewards/crown then that is grounds for disqualification. Rather, be thankful that you have your gift of salvation and work hard so that others will have this free gift. By doing so, if there really are additional rewards, then who knows? You just might get those rewards at the end. But if there aren't any, you wouldn't lose out either because all along, you appreciated the gift you did get and shared it with others.

Repeatedly in the letters to the churches in Revelation, they were told..

7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

What kind of things did the Spirit say to the churches??

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.

To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.

26To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—

He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels

12Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.

1To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.

So in the letters to the churches in revelation we see over and over to listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Over and over again the Spirit mentions rewards.

To say we shouldn't pay attention to rewards is basically to say we should ignore all that stuff that the Spirit is saying to the churches.

 

[loveschild]

Hi!
Oh and for added measure, no where did I claim that it is up to me to decide who gets the blessings.


Your plainly saying God will not bless people. Your trying to change what is written in the word of God.
Also First and foremost I want God. He knows this. I spend a great amount of time learning more and more about God. I talk to him all day. He is much more to me than words on paper.
He has blessed me with seeing him. Yha I know theres plenty that will say I'm lying. I can't make you believe just as God can't make you believe.
Thats also written. The pure in heart will see God. It doesn't say you have to wait till you get to heaven.
The workers story in the bible is talking about a person who gets saved at the very last minute still gets to go to heaven, just a person who has known God for 30 years.
I follow the word of God and the word of God say put God first. The word of God says bear MUCH fruit. The word of God says he will reward you so greatly your blessings will over flow.
Anyone who says other than that isn't reading the bible. And doesn't know God at all.

 

[pickles]

I find that many people are doing the works for the crowns. Yes, I know Paul talks about running the race but I thought I should at least bring everyone's attention to the vineyard workers found in Matthew 20:1-16.



This is a kingdom parable - it talks about how God's kingdom looks like so it applies regardless of what-trib view you hold. The people hired first are paid a denarius. The people hired later - right up to the eleventh hour (hint hint we all know what the eleventh hour symbolizes, right?) are also paid a denarius. There is no difference between those who have been working hard all along and those who worked the least right up to the eleventh hour. All are rewarded with the same pay.

I've said before in another thread. Don't run the race for hopes of a reward or a crown. God looks at the heart and if you run the race for the rewards/crown then that is grounds for disqualification. Rather, be thankful that you have your gift of salvation and work hard so that others will have this free gift. By doing so, if there really are additional rewards, then who knows? You just might get those rewards at the end. But if there aren't any, you wouldn't lose out either because all along, you appreciated the gift you did get and shared it with others.

I've seen people posting in threads saying that God will look at our fruit and how many people we brought to him and reward us accordingly. No. That is the wrong attitude. We already got the reward that we didn't deserve. Fruit and bringing people to him is something we should be doing out of gratitude and a sharing heart.

Someone is going to disagree but whatever. This needs to be said.

Thankyou oopsies, you posted one of my favorate parables.
It keeps us all humble and reminds us that what God does is what pleases him.
God bless, pickles

 

[oopsies]

To those who disagree with what I've said: it is pointless to argue. You will continue to quote me verses and challenge me to say that God's Word is insufficient. To which I will simply reply that you've misinterpreted it. Then you will quote me more verses and say that I'm the one who has misinterpreted things. This will go back and forth like many of the threads in this forum. So I leave you with something for you to consider and after which, I will unsubscribe and depart from this thread.

If you were to do something nice to a person and they ask you why you did it, would you tell them that you did it for rewards? Or would you tell them that you did it because it came from the bottom of your heart, Jesus would do the same, or anything along those lines?

If you said yes to the first one, then... well, there's nothing more to say, is there? If you say yes to the second one, then you lie because you already claim that you want fruit and to do good deeds for rewards - that is your primary reason (which doesn't imply in any way that you can't do nice things and expect nothing in return).

Don't tell me. I'm not interested in knowing. I've already made my own decision on what those verses mean.